Broken
by Iwanita
Summary: TF:Prime. After episode 20, Partners. Starscream is now on his own. Rejected by the Decepticons. Despised by the Autobots. What will the future bring for him?
1. Nemesis

**Summary: **TF:Prime. After episode 20 (Partners). Starscream is now on his own. Rejected by the Decepticons. Despised by the Autobots. What will the future bring for him?

**Disclaimer:** Transformers characters are © to Hasbro. The story is mine.

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><p><span>Chapter 1: Nemesis<span>

Starscream sighed inwardly as he maneuvered slowly through the skies. An ominous feeling of dread was slowly seizing him as he approached to his destination. The Nemesis. Almost unconsciously, he slowed down his speed even more. A common human jet could not have maintained flight at that speed. Actually, he didn't want to arrive to the Decepticon warship, but he had no other choice.

Two Earth weeks had passed since he last was there. Two weeks since that wretched Airachnid had abandoned him to the Autobot's mercy. Since the attempt of joining Optimus' ranks and the quick posterior betrayal. Since he had found himself free from both Decepticons and Autobots alike. He had never felt so free and happy in a long time.

But it didn't last too much. And the problem was ridiculously simple. Energon. Yes, he was a seeker. And like the good seeker he was, Starscream could easily locate raw Energon deposits with his cunning sensors. But the raw Energon crystals were not directly edible for Cybertronians. They had to be refined into liquid Energon. And Starscream didn't had the means to do it.

Not too long ago, he had been stockpiling a small reserve of refined Energon for his own purposes. It was hidden in a cave, in a mountainous region of North America. Starscream had planned to live on that reserves until he found a way to refine his own Energon crystals. He was a scientist, after all. He knew the process. He only needed some time to build the necessary machines for refining the Energon.

But when he arrived there, his secret hideout was empty. Yes, Megatron had discovered the seeker's dirty trick (an almost off-lined him that day), but Starscream had not revealed the location of his stockpile. Well, his Leader didn't ask for it. Now he knew why. He already knew. That blasted Soundwave knew everything.

So, with his Energon tank near depletion, he pondered his options. The Autobots would surely shoot him on sight. For the love of Primus, he had betrayed them only two weeks ago! And now they knew it had been him who had extinguished Cliffjumper's spark! Sure thing the Autobots were soft and forgiving in general terms... but they shouldn't be happy to see him right now. On the other servo, the Decepticons. Well, Megatron should be more used to his treacheries and tricks by now. After all, he had been serving him for a long time. And Starscream always came back. Mainly for his own selfish purposes, yes. But he always came back, didn't he? He was loyal, in his own way...

The Nemesis was now visible on the cloudy horizon. A storm was approaching. That was never a good sign. The seeker felt again the now familiar feeling of dread taking over him.

Starscream landed smoothly on the upper deck of the warship and transformed into his mech form.

"Well... Megatron is going to beat me hard for this... but at least it would be better than starving to death..." He thought for himself, walking slowly to the deck's main gates. Suppressing a shiver, he pressed the right buttons and the doors opened for him.

The darkness of the Nemesis' corridors engulfed him as he slowly made his way towards the main control room, the soft steps of his metal feet resounding in the distance.


	2. Dismissed

Chapter 2: Dismissed

The seeker stopped in front of the doors of the Nemesis' control room, trying to pluck up some courage, what was left of his dignity, and a little calmness.

And failed miserably.

The metal doors of the control room slided open with a loud whoosh. _Without_ his command.

Starscream's wings twitched nervously behind him. Megatron was at the terminal at the end of the room. Fortunately, he had his back turned to him while he appeared to be inspecting the monitors, so, hopefully he didn't see the dumbstruck expression on the seeker's face-plates as he appeared behind the door. And thanks Primus, he was alone. Megatron was going to beat the crap out of him for sure. He could deal with that. But he would have hated to deal with a gleeful Airachnid watching the whole show, or a creepy Soundwave recording it for the log's sake.

A few clicks passed until he succeed in stepping inside. His feet seemed to be somehow glued to the floor. He approached cautiously to his imposing Leader.

"Starscream reporting back, Lord Megatron." Starscream saluted humbly, stopping at a safe distance from the Decepticon warlord. Well, safe from beating, but not from fusion cannon range, actually.

A few more clicks passed until Megatron deigned himself to turn around to face the seeker, who was at that point squirming on the spot. Oh, Megatron was as good at psychological torture as he was with physical ones.

"Well, if it isn't my _dear_ Starscream... How have you been?" The Decepticon Lord saluted back with eerie calm. And an eerie calmed Megatron was never a good sign. The seeker squirmed a little more on his place and his wings twitched again.

"Ah... well... it's funny you ask..." He said miserably, giving a nervous smile. "You see, that treacherous Airachnid trapped me in her spiderweb and left me to the Autobot's mercy! Can you believe that?"

"Yes, she told me that part, and she has been already punished for it." Megatron commented dismissively. "Go on."

"I am glad to hear it!" The seeker replied, feeling relieved that Airachnid had spoken the truth for one single time in her life. Megatron would be less suspicious if their versions of the history concurred. At least until now, because the rest of his history was going to be a big lie. "Well, the Autobots captured me, and tried to extract information from me, but I resisted. Their base is signal-proof, so I could not contact you." He explained dramatically. "But I managed to free myself and escape through their Ground Bridge, and so, here I am, back to duty." He added, a little to proudly.

"I see..." Megatron murmured with a thoughtful look, as he tapped his chin-plates. He left his terminal and approached the seeker, circling him with a predatory smirk. Starscream didn't dare to move from his spot. "You see, Starscream..." He said, back to his eerie calm. "...I must admit one thing. I am not perfect." He shook his helm slightly. "And sometimes I make mistakes." Starscream didn't like where his Leader's monologue was going. "And I promised myself not too long ago that I would not make the same mistakes again. But I did. I don't know why, but I did. Maybe because I had a soft spot for you, maybe because I found entertaining your pathetic attempts of treachery, maybe because I preferred to have my friends close and my enemies _closer_..."

"B-but L-lord Megatron...!" The seeker stuttered. "I have came back!" He tried to smile. "I always come back!"

"Silence! Do not interrupt me!" Megatron roared, grabbing Starscream by his right wing and pushing him down, making him fall to his knee-joints with a pained yelp. The wings were the most painful spot of a seeker. "Yes, you were captured by the Autobots, but they didn't bring you to their base! The scanners of the Nemesis can pick up a living moving Energon signature quite easily. And don't tell me it could have been an Autobot, because Autobots don't move at flying speeds! And curiously, that signature visited a too familiar hideout between the mountains!" Megatron sank his claws slowly in Starscream's wing, earning a panicked cry from the treacherous seeker. "Allow me to explain the truth to you, my _dear _Starscream, because you seem to have mysteriously forgotten it: you escaped the Autobots and instead of coming back immediately, you tried to desert and live on your own. But you didn't have Energon, so you went to your hideout only to find it empty. And now, _only now_, with your tank near emptied you dare to come back to me!" The Decepticon Leader roared, sinking his claws further into Starscream's wing, tearing the circuitry below. The seeker cried in agony. "And not satisfied with that you dare to lie to me _again_!"

"Please, my Lord!" Starscream begged. "It won't happen again! I promise!"

"Yes, you can be certain in one thing, Starscream." Megatron hissed dangerously. "It won't happen again!" And with that, he sent the seeker flying back with a powerful kick.

Starscream skidded to a halt at the other side of the room and scrambled to his feet. He tried to beg one more time for his life but froze in place as he heard the loud whine of a powerful weapon capacitor been loaded. This was not Megatron's usual beating. He was serious about off-lining him permanently. The seeker looked back at the Decepticon warlord. There was only murder written across his face-plates. Remorseless murder. Starscream's battle protocols tried to engage but it was already too late. The deafening sound of Megatron's fusion cannon was the last thing he heard as the blast hit him square on the chest, nearly off-lining him on the spot from the shock.

He fell to the floor with painful crash, grasping his chest. He was still alive, he thought for a brief moment. But when he saw his own exposed and sparkling circuitry and his already scarce Energon leaking from almost everywhere, he panicked. He really panicked.

Megatron approached dangerously and grabbed him by the throat, raising him into the air. Starscream shakily tried to free himself, but he couldn't summon the strenght. He cursed himself. He felt so weak and helpless. At least if his tank hadn't been near emptied he could had put on a decent fight. But this had been pathetic. Even now, he was finding quite difficult to remain on-line, his HUD flooding with errors and flaring with stasis-lock recommendations.

"Ah, you are still on-line. Good. You can witness your great finale!" The tyrant sneered, and he exited the control room, still with the seeker firmly grabbed as he tried to fruitlessly free himself. What had Megatron in stock for him? He wondered.

In a few moments, they were back at the upper deck. The storm had arrived at last, and the first water drops rained from the dark skies, brushing gently over the seeker's damaged frame. He stopped his weak attempts to free himself, feeling the urge to enter stasis-lock claiming him, slowly numbing his sensors.

"You are not even worthy for spare parts!" Megatron snapped, shaking Starscream in his grip so that he didn't enter stasis-lock too soon. "And, of course, much less worthy of been a Decepticon!" He roared, bringing down his free servo and leaving five deep claw marks over what was left of the seeker's already damaged chest, right over the Decepticon emblem. Starscream tried to cry in pain, but Megatron's crushing grip over his throat and vocalizer prevented him from it. "Enjoy the fall, my dear ex-second in command. You are _dismissed_." He said coldly, his face-plates very near to Starscream's, reveling in his expression of sheer fear and panic.

And with that, Megatron dragged the seeker to the deck border, and threw him over the edge.

The Decepticon warlord smirked in satisfaction as he frame of the seeker disappeared from sight, engulfed by the dark stormy clouds. One less thing to worry about.


	3. Lost & found

Chapter 3: Lost & Found

Sweet oblivion was fighting to claim him. The pain was so intense that he was almost on the point of giving up. He on-lined his optics and saw the ground coming closer at an alarming rate. Water drops floated around him, falling at his same speed. Faint thunders could be heard in the distance.

Something snapped inside him. He was going to crash. He didn't want to die that way. It was disgraceful for a seeker. Pits, he didn't want to die. He tried to transform. His HUD flared with warnings. Due to the extent of his damages, transformation was not recommended. He had to manually force it if he didn't want to crash.

Starscream cried in agony. It was excruciatingly painful to transform while damaged. The pain almost sent him in stasis-lock, but he endured. The worst part was done. Now, his thrusters...

"Come on..." He muttered, ignoring the warnings in his HUD about the Energon loss and thrust power supply. They were refusing to start.

His thrusters came to life at last. Near out of time, he managed to stabilize himself and pulled up. He scanned the terrain. He was still going to fast too make a safe landing. He desperately tried to pull up all his aerodynamic brakes.

The F-16 slided over the uneven ground of a canyon, scrapping and damaging even more his belly and wings in the process. Finally, he skidded to a halt near a boulder.

Letting out a weak groan, he tried to transform. But he couldn't even do that now. His Energon reserves were now critical, and he was still leaking his life-blood away.

_/Energon levels critical. Entering emergency stasis-lock./_ His internal maintenance systems informed aloud.

"Heh...well... I'm going off-line... but not the way you planned..." He thought bitterly for himself, finding comfort on the smallest of the details. He could no longer feel the pain. His sensors were off-lining one by one, non-essential systems shutting down as he slowly lost awareness of his surroundings. His consciousness fading away, lost in the deep slumber of stasis-lock.

The rain was still brushing gently over his frame. But he could no longer feel it.

* * *

><p>"Optimus." Ratchet called his Leader the next morning.<p>

"Yes, Ratchet?"

"I thought that the storm was tampering with the radar, but the clouds have disappeared by now, and the signal that I found still remains..." The medic explained.

"What signal?" The Autobot Leader asked, intrigued.

"A very faint live Energon reading. So faint that I can't even determine if it's Autobot or Decepticon. What do you think? Should we investigate?" Ratchet asked. Optimus pondered his options for some seconds.

"A faint Energon reading could be an injured mech. But who? We are all here at the base. That leave us with the second option. A Decepticon." The Prime concluded.

"But if he is there since last night, the Decepticons could have picked him up by now." Ratchet added.

"That leaves us with the third and fourth options. A newly arrived mech... or a trap." The Autobot Leader finished.

"What should we do, Optimus?" Arcee asked, who had been silently listening to the conversation going around her. The red and blue mech paused to think for some seconds.

"If there is the smallest chance of it been a mech in distress, we must check it out." He said, with a slight frown.

"Who is going?"

"Everyone. So, in case it's a trap, we will be better prepared. We will also be extra careful. Understood?"

"Yes, Sir."

"And no humans. It could be dangerous." The Autobot Leader pointed out, earning an immediate groan from Miko. "Understood?" He said in a stern tone. The three teenagers nodded with different grades of conformity. "Raf, could you operate the Ground Bridge for us, please?"

"Of course, Optimus." The smallest of the kids smiled. Raf was not as brave as Jack or Miko, but he was responsible and reliable, specially with computer and monitoring duties.


	4. Blue skies

Chapter 4: Blue skies

Optimus stepped out of the Ground Bridge's vortex, cautiously taking in is his surroundings. Ratchet, Bulkhead, Bumblebee and Arcee appeared behind him, weapons ready as they scanned the area for potential threats. With a silent command from Optimus, they moved forward in the stone canyon.

"The signal was coming from somewhere near here..." Ratchet murmured, inspecting a scanner that he carried in his servo used to detect energy signatures. "But it is so faint by now that it barely appears on the radar..." His medical protocols screamed, begging of him to hurry up unconsciously. "Someone could be dying, Optimus."

The Autobot Leader nodded once and continued his search. He was at the head of the group, both of his arms transformed into guns. He turned on a twist of the canyon... and froze.

"What happens, Optimus?" Bulkhead asked as quietly as he could, coming to his Leader's side and froze too when he saw the scene before their optics.

There was a large and long furrow across the gravel ground, and at the end of it was a too familiar grey jet, partially burrowed in the dirt.

Arcee growled and pulled up both of her guns immediately.

"That slagger is not going to trick us again!" She snarled, as her weapon capacitors whined.

"Hold your fire. Everyone." Optimus commanded, with a tone that indicated that his orders could not be argued. He approached to the fallen seeker, with his comrades trailing close behind. Everyone had still their weapons in hand as precaution.

"By the Allspark..." Ratchet gasped as he saw the extent of the seeker's damage. All his frame was battered, his wings badly damaged, one of them nearly ripped off. A small pool of Energon had formed below the jet. The medic pulled out his diagnosis tool and scanned plane. "He... he is in emergency stasis-lock. And still leaking Energon. There is not enough energy for the necessary repairs..." Ratchet said, glancing back at Optimus with an ominous look. "He is... dying, Optimus." He stated bluntly.

"You've gotta be kiddin' me!" Bulkhead barked in disbelief. "All this time fightin' with us and now he goes and crashes himself in a storm! This is a trap! I'm sure!"

"One cannot simply feign an emergency stasis-lock or bleed out to the point of no return!" Ratchet snapped back.

"Woah, are you now on his side?" The green mech retorted.

"No, but I don't like anyone questioning my medical diagnosis!"

"Silence." Optimus ordered. "Ratchet, give him a small dose of your medical Energon and bring him out of stasis. Decepticon or not, he is of more use to us alive than dead. And I want to question him." He explained. Ratchet nodded, and proceeded.

"I can't believe we are doing this..." Arcee breathed, never loosing her focus on the immobile target on the ground. "This is the same mech that tried to fool us, who tried to kill me... who killed Cliffjumper!" She growled, the rage consuming her.

"Arcee. If we kill a defenseless mech we are no better than the Decepticons. In fact, we would be exactly like them." Optimus reprimanded, and turned to look back at the jet again. The Autobot Leader had a dreadful suspicion of what could have caused the seeker such injuries. But he needed to confirm his hypothesis.

Starscream felt how his sensors on-lined slowly once again. He was still numb. His HUD was still flaring with errors, but his Energon levels seemed a little higher. Very little, the sufficient to come out of stasis. Why? He should be dead by now. His optic input on-lined. It was still blurry. Then, his audio input. There were voices around him... They sounded too familiar... Autobots!

Ratchet flinched back in surprise as the jet jerked and his thrusters fought for on-lining. After some stuttering and dusts of smoke they came to life, successfully pushing the jet forward. But he didn't make it too far. His thrusters failed again and he crash-landed only a few meters away.

Optimus and his crew approached again, weapons out, his team surrounding the fallen jet. The seeker snarled in frustration and forced himself to painfully transform back to mech mode. Ratchet winced at the sight. He knew that hurt very much. He had seen tougher mechs on the battlefield going into stasis-lock due to the pain of attempting to transform while badly damaged. Starscream's transformation was slow because of that and the lack of energy. A few freshly repaired Energon lines broke again and sparks flew here and there from the exposed circuitry.

At last, Starscream stood before them, panting painfully through the few vents that still worked, an arm gripping protectively his badly damaged chest. From his expression, Ratchet could tell that he was in intense pain, and still, the tenacious seeker managed to look also defiant.

"What do you want, Prime? I think I wasn't bothering any of you resting there on the ground..." He growled, trying to sound with the confidence he didn't have at the time.

"Starscream. You were in deep stasis and leaking Energon... You were _dying_..." Autobot Leader stated coldly.

"That is none of your business!" He snapped back, trying to sound menacing. "Now, let me be!"

"What happened to you?" Optimus insisted calmly.

"Leave. Me. Alone." The seeker growled, raising his free arm and transforming it into a gun and aiming it at the Autobot Leader. It was, however, an unwise move, because immediately five pairs of guns were aimed at him.

Starscream narrowed his optics and tried to load the weapon capacitor in his arm-gun. It gave a sharp whine and shorted out, the red glow of the weapon slowly going off. Bulkhead gave a loud snort and tried to suppress a laugh. Perfect. Just perfect. No weapons. No flight. Surrounded by enemies. Badly damaged and still leaking the little Energon he had left. And with the Autobots making fun of him.

He tried to recoil, giving a step back, only to hear the sound of his own wings scrapping against the canyon wall. Oh joy. No scape either. The now familiar feeling of dread began creeping into his spark again.

"What happened, Starscream? Please." Optimus insisted again, this time a little softer, sheathing back his weapons.

"Nothing happened! In fact, the rest of my troops should be here shortly to rescue me. So, I'd suggest you to leave while you still can." He retorted, trying to maintain his balance. It was becoming rather difficult with each minute that passed.

_/Energon levels critical. Entering emergency stasis-lock./_ His internal maintenance systems informed aloud. His enemies stared at him in shock. They have heard it clearly.

"Override..." He muttered under his breath and winced in pain. Canceling that kind of life-saving protocols entailed a strong backlash from the damaged systems. Ratchet grimaced involuntarily. How the seeker was still standing defiantly in front of them was a mystery to him.

"Fine. Since you want this the hard way, you can have it." Optimus sighed, with displeasure. "Starscream, you have been here since last night. If someone had wanted to pick you up, they would have done it by now. And since we have not done this to you, and neither have MECH, because they would have surely taken you with them; that leaves me only one suspect. The Decepticons. Should I go on?" Optimus said bluntly. Even Arcee winced at his stern tone.

Starscream felt the dread and panic overcoming him again. But he still tried to maintain his dignity.

"Leave me alone, Optimus." He hissed, clenching his denta.

"And... that claw marks on your chest and wing... there is only one mech that could have caused them... Megatron himself." Optimus finished, and let it sink. The seeker's expression changed briefly. Optimus had found out. Starscream felt so miserable and lost at that moment.

_/Energon levels critical. Entering emergency stasis-lock./_ The maintenance systems announced, again.

"Override!" One more time. The pain was now so intense that his legs gave up and he ended on the ground. Ratchet, overcame by his strong medical protocols gave a step towards the seeker, trying to help him. But he stopped as the grey mech snarled at him. "Don't you dare to come any closer! I don't need your compassion, stupid Autobots!" He shakily rose up, sinking his clawed servos in the canyon wall to pull himself up.

"Starscream!" The Autobot Leader urged. That stubborn seeker was going to off-line himself if he continued with that attitude.

"What do you want me to say, Prime?" The seeker snapped suddenly, narrowing his optics. "That I have been finally rejected by the Decepticons and despised by the Autobots? That I am alone? That no one is going to help me this time? That I have what I deserved?" Starscream felt how the little confidence he had left shattered at that moment. He felt so helpless and pathetic. If he could, he would had probably started to cry. Instead, he gave a tired chuckle and shook his helm. Even Arcee was giving him now a half-sympathetic look. "Optimus. Please. Just finish me at once or leave me so I can die here alone with what is left of my already small dignity." He said slowly, lowering his gaze to the ground. Optimus was taken aback by the bitterness of the seeker's tone. There was no longer hate, mischief or feigned bravado in his voice. Only bitterness.

"It doesn't have to be this way, Starscream. We can help you." Optimus replied with concern. Bulkhead and Arcee exchanged worried glances, and Bumblebee beeped in alarm.

_/Energon levels critical. Entering emergency stasis-lock./_

"...Override." The seeker winced in pain and dropped again to the ground, this time, the pain so intense that an audible whine escaped him involuntarily. He fruitlessly tried to stand up again, but he couldn't. "Optimus, where have you been all this damned war? Don't you know me enough? I would betray you at the slightest chance! Stupid soft-sparked Autobots!" He snapped back. "Well, if you don't cooperate, your troops surely will do. Hey, Bulkhead, do you remember how I tried to grab your little human pet in that mine? And Arcee, have you forgotten how I extinguished Cliffjumper's spark?" He taunted.

The green mech and the blue femme growled dangerously, but didn't move without his Leader's consent. Starscream sighed in defeat. Optimus didn't move and maintained his resolute stare on him. The seeker felt his spark came down once again, sinking in the feeling of dread, remorse and loneliness that had been pooling inside him all this time.

"Well... since no one of you wants to pull the trigger... I suggest you to leave me alone." He said slowly. "Please... It's the only thing I am going to beg of you." He added miserably. "Optimus. Leave me alone... please." He said, barely above a whisper.

_/Energon levels critical. Entering emergency stasis-lock./_

"I am not overriding this again... It's too painful..." The seeker muttered, falling on his flank as he felt his strenght slowly draining from him. He glanced weakly one more time up to the blue sky above them before loosing visual input.

"Starscream..." Ratchet whispered for himself. Of course he hated the seeker, but watching an enemy fade-out like that, so helpless and alone... just felt... so wrong.

"What a pity... that I could not feel the wind beneath my wings one more time... the sky after the storm... is beautiful in this stupid planet... so blue... and pure..." He trailed off as he drifted out of consciousness. The soft hum of his engine dying out as his sensors off-lined one by one. Hopefully, this time, to never come online again.

Optimus kept looking at the motionless frame of the seeker for a long time. The rest of his comrades slowly sheathed back their weapons.

"How do you feel, Arcee?" Optimus asked slowly, turning to stare back at the blue femme. She frowned briefly and let her arms fall limply to her sides. She tried to summon her hate, her darkest desires of vengeance that she had been suppressing for so long. But she failed.

"Nothing..." She whispered. "I feel nothing, Optimus..."

Bulkhead looked back at her with a similar expression on his face-plates.

"How much time does he have left, Ratchet?" The Autobot Leader asked.

"An hour. Maybe even less." The medic replied with a sad sigh.

* * *

><p><strong>[AN]:** Poor Starscream :( This chapter is so, so sad. I must confess I was on the verge of tears by the end. What do you think? Should we save him?


	5. Repairs

Chapter 5: Repairs

"We are taking him with us." The Autobot Leader announced. None of his soldiers complained at that point.

Optimus called Raf through his comm. link and requested a Ground Bridge to his location. He lowered and picked up the motionless form of the seeker in his strong arms. He noticed that the seeker's frame was rather light for his size. Fliers tended to sacrifice armor and power in favour of agility and speed. That was why Starscream usually stayed back in the fights, out of melee range.

Miko stared, bouncing with impatience, at the Autobots coming back through the Ground Bridge's vortex. Optimus was the last one. She noticed that everyone of them was fine.

"So, what happened? No fighting?" She asked impatiently.

"Are you alright?" Jack asked, noticing the eerie silence that reigned over their friends.

"Wait, is that Starscream?" Miko cried suddenly, noticing the damaged frame that Optimus was carrying in his arms.

"Yes, he is." Ratchet stated bluntly, making his way to the med-bay in a hurried pace, Optimus following close behind.

"Are you insane?" She yelled in outrage.

"Miko, please. It's not the best moment..." Bulkhead muttered in a worried tone.

"What happened, Arcee?" Jack asked slowly, looking at his guardian. She seemed to have a great conflict going on inside her.

"We can't tell you. I am sorry, children." She replied, a little down-hearted. She didn't like having to keep things from the children, specially from Jack, who could probably handle the truth by now. But it was Optimus' order. He didn't want to humiliate Starscream more than necessary, and he had considered that what had happened to the seeker was something personal. If he desired to share his experience with someone else, it was up to him, not them.

Raf stared with concern to the closed doors of the med-bay.

* * *

><p>Starscream rested now on a medical berth, hooked to a multitude of IV lines. Ratchet was working quickly to repair his severed Energon lines and the shorting circuits. He also administered the seeker a sedative, so that he wouldn't come out of stasis too soon. Optimus helped as much as he could, having basic field medical training.<p>

"I don't even know how he was standing up with this damage. Much less transform." The medic muttered. "Optimus, try to fix that wing while I work on his chest."

The Autobot Leader obeyed, starting to put back together what was left of Starscream's right wing. He knew how sensitive were the wings of a seeker, and it made him burn with rage the mere thought of Megatron mistreating one of his own soldiers like this. Even if it was an enemy. He had no right.

"What is this, Ratchet?" Optimus asked, signaling a few pale marks on the seeker's grey frame.

"Previous wounds that have not fully recovered yet. Given time they will disappear completely." Ratchet explained, without looking away from his work. "I fear that this was not the first time that Megatron took it out on Starscream... but I guess he intended it to be the last time." He added with a frown.

Optimus glanced at the seeker's face-plates. Usually, the expression of recharging or in stasis mechs was relaxed and unworried. But Starscream's retained somehow a slightly pained expression, with his optic-ridges weakly frowned. It was spark-breaking. The Prime wondered how much of victim and how much of murderer was inside Starscream in reality. He had seemed so... broken... back there in the canyon. Not only physically, but also psychologically.

They continued working in silence for a few hours until Ratchet finally spoke.

"Well, I have done everything that was in my servos to help him. He's out of danger. Now, it's up to his own repair systems to finish the job." He announced.

"I'll take him to the brig." Optimus replied.

* * *

><p><strong>[AN]:** Of course, I could not let poor 'Screamer die! However, he will be very scared when he wakes up... Oh, and thanks for the reviews, they make me sparkle with hapiness!


	6. Brig

Chapter 6: Brig

Starscream's systems on-lined again one by one. He felt very disoriented. Everything was dark. Wait, his optics sensors were still off-line. His HUD gave him less error reports. Systems were recovering. He accessed the last memory files. He was dying. Was this the Well of Sparks? He should be dead.

Suddenly, the last memories flooded back and his optics on-lined, widening in shock as he took in his surroundings. He jerked up and tried run despite his HUD warning him of the danger of straining his freshly repaired wounds. He get up from a berth, only to fall face-down to the floor with a painful crash as he realized that his left foot was chained to the wall.

"Starscream, I wasn't expecting you to wake up so soon." A deep regal voice said. Starscream looked up from the floor and his wings stiffened. The Autobot Leader was looking at him from behind the cell's bars.

The seeker's wings then flattered down in sheer panic as realization hit him. He was in the Autobot base. In their brig. Alone. At their mercy. And probably he was going to be tortured for information. Or simply tortured without a reason. It was the only explanation that occurred to him at that moment to explain why the Autobots have not let him die in that canyon.

"Starscream? Are you even listening to me?" The Autobot Leader asked, a little confused. The seeker snapped out of his destructive spiral of thoughts and scrambled to the back of the cell, as far from the door as he could. "I was telling you to calm down. Do a systems check."

Without many other options, the grey mech obeyed. His Energon levels were normal once again. All systems functioning. Internal repair protocols working at full capacity. Energon tank almost full. Weapons disabled. He blinked a couple of times in disbelief. Why did the Autobots bother in repairing him if they were going to scrap him again? He looked back at the Autobot Leader, disoriented. Optimus frowned slightly with concern.

"I am not going to hurt you." He said slowly.

"...You should." The seeker replied meekly, looking away.

"Probably. But I won't." Optimus said with a sad hint in his voice. "Besides, I consider that you have had enough punishment on your own by now."

The seeker shivered at the memory of the past few events and his wings dropped down, his spark sinking again in a pool of despair and helplessness.

"...Why didn't you let me die? What do you want from me...?" Starscream asked, still unable to look at the Autobot Leader to his face-plates.

"I fight this war to protect the innocents, not to annihilate my enemies. In your case, you were already defeated when we found you, and it was not necessary to kill you. I do not desire unnecessary deaths." He replied with his deep baritone voice. "I do this for my own principles. I do not need anything from you." The seeker looked back at him with an unreadable expression. The Prime turned to leave, but stopped again. "Just rest and recover yourself. Be quiet and don't cause trouble. That's the only thing I want from you." And with that, he left, leaving the seeker alone again to gather his thoughts.

Starscream remained there, seated on the floor for a long time, thinking about everything. So much had happened so quickly that he almost hadn't had enough time to assimilate it. There was no way in the Universe that the Decepticons were going to accept him again. And of course Optimus had not bothered himself in offering him to be an Autobot either. They both knew the answer to that and the inevitable outcome. Instead, he had offered him _asylum_. He would live and he would have his diary ration of Energon. He only had to behave properly in exchange.

He gave a long sigh through his vents. _Defeated_. That word resounded inside him for a while. The great Starscream, once Second in Command of the Decepticon army. Briefly Lord Starscream. Defeated and at the Autobots' mercy. He smiled sadly at the irony, leaning against the wall.

"I had what I deserved." He thought bitterly. He had been so blinded by his thirst of power that he hadn't cared about making friends. And now he was alone. Rejected by the Decepticons. Despised by the Autobots.

And he was so tired. So tired of this war. So tired of been alone.

* * *

><p>"Optimus." The Autobot medic saluted, leaning against the door-frame of his Leader's quarters. "May I come in?"<p>

"Of course, old friend." Optimus replied, gesturing to a chair in front of his desk, where he was currently sitting with a cube of Energon between his servos. He appeared to be, however, more thinking that drinking, because the cube was almost full.

"What do you plan to do with Starscream?" The medic asked. Optimus smiled inwardly. That was Ratchet. Direct to the point.

"Honestly? I don't know." He sighed, shaking his helm slowly. "I was only hoping to keep him out of trouble. If he is here, it means one less enemy to worry about on the battlefield."

"You can't keep a seeker in a cell for too long like humans keep birds in cages. The seeker programming is very different from ours. In a couple of Earth weeks he would start showing withdrawal symptoms. Seekers need to fly to be healthy."

"I didn't think about that..." Optimus murmured with concern, recalling the not so recent scars in Starscream's wings. Megatron's punishments were atrocious. "And the Decepticons could locate him also if he leaves the range of our dampening fields..."

"We must think of some solution quickly." Ratchet warned, and stood from the chair and turned to leave. "But for now, I need a rest. Those hours in the med-bay have been hard."

"You have earned it, Ratchet. Rest well."

"One more thing." Ratchet said suddenly, stopping on his tracks. "Are you going to tell Fowler?" Optimus slumped back on his chair and groaned miserably.

"Maybe... one of these days..." He replied. Ratchet smirked and left.

* * *

><p>Ratchet walked slowly through their base's corridors, trying to make as less noise as possible. He took a detour on his way to his quarters. He wanted to check up on Starscream. When he arrived to the brig, he peeked from behind the bars.<p>

The seeker was on the far corner of the cell, seated on the floor and leaning against the wall. His optics were off-line, and he appeared to be recharging, his face-plates a little more relaxed than before.

The medic shook his helm and proceeded to his quarters, trying not to feel sympathy for a dangerous enemy.


	7. Caged bird

Chapter 7: Caged bird

_[The next day.]_

"Oh my god, it's true, it wasn't a nightmare!" Miko groaned in dismay. "He really is here!"

"Miko, please. Optimus told us that we shouldn't be here alone!" Raf whispered with concern. "You are going to wake him up!"

"Don't be a chicken, Raf! He is chained to the wall and he doesn't even reach the bars. As long as we stay here he can do nothing to us." The sulking girl replied. "And why did you followed me here anyway?"

Starscream's optics on-lined as he heard voices near him.

"Oh no, you awakened him..." Raf said shakily.

The seeker groaned briefly and rested his helm on his knee-joints. Great. Just great. Now even that fleshling grubs were going to make fun of him.

"Hey, you! Did you had fun back there in the mine with that rock? I hope it didn't scratch your paint... much!" The girl said mockingly. Starscream remembered her very well.

"Miko, please, don't taunt him..." The smaller boy said. The seeker didn't know him personally, yet.

The vicious girl continued to taunt him for some minutes, while the smaller boy grabbed her by a wrist and tried to fruitlessly pull her away. Starscream tried his best to ignore the girl. He had to behave. Not that he cared much about the human grubs, but it was the only thing that Optimus had wanted from him, and oddly enough, he intended to carry it out. Mainly for his own safety and Energon rations.

"...And I am happy that you are here now rusting in a cell!"

"Miko!" Arcee yelled from the other end of the corridor, making the girl and the small boy jump in surprise. Starscream could hear her stomps as she approached the cell. "Optimus told you not to be here alone!" She checked the seeker. He was still on the far side of the cell.

"Hey, Arcee, who beat Starscream into scrap? Who was? I bet it was Bulkhead, he's so strong!" Miko said in excitement, ignoring Arcee's reprimand.

The seeker flinched slightly. Oh, joy. The vicious girl was going to have another thing to throw at his face-plates when she learned that it had been his own master who had tried to kill him.

"Actually... " The blue femme murmured glancing at the seeker. Starscream sighed miserably and his wings dropped even further. "...It was me. I was blind with fury, I don't know what I was thinking. Optimus reprimanded me later." She lied.

"Woah! You are so cool!" Miko exclaimed in awe, staring at the femme. Starscream also stared at her with wide optics.

"Now, you two, out of here." Arcee ordered, crossing her arms across her chestplates. "And don't disobey Optimus again." She warned, and watched as the kids made their way back to the main room. Once they were out of sight, she sighed and turned to glare at Starscream. He looked away immediately. He couldn't bear her glare right now.

"...Thank you..." He whispered. Been scrapped by Arcee sounded better than been scrapped by his own Leader (ex-Leader) and rejected by his own faction (ex-faction).

"I don't need your gratitude." She said harshly, and turned to walk away.

"Cliffjumper..." Starscream started to say. Arcee stopped in her tracks and balled her fists in anger. "...He didn't break... unlike me. He remained defiant and proud until the very end..." He said almost in a whisper. "I thought... you would like to know..."

"I still hate you." She replied, this time a little less harshly, without looking back.

"I wasn't expecting anything less..." The seeker whispered, leaning against the wall beside him.

Arcee strode down the corridors, her footsteps resounding in the distance.

* * *

><p><em>[One week later.]<em>

A week had passed. The Autobots paid little to no attention to the seeker, only the necessary to make sure that he was still there, to bring him his Energon rations and little else. Sometimes Optimus spent some minutes talking with him about idle things, but it was mostly for courtesy. Or at least that was what the seeker thought.

And thankfully, the insidious girl had stopped her visits to throw insults at him.

Every now and then he gave a small walk inside his cell to stretch his legs, at least, at the range the chain on his foot permitted. He couldn't even transform with that thing around his ankle. He stretched his wings once a while too. His repairs were almost complete, and his wings itched, begging of him to fly, to burn some of his excess energy in a long and fast flight.

He was now pacing up and down his limited range, his wings twitching every now and then. He was going to go insane if he didn't fly anytime soon. Pits. He couldn't even see the sky. He missed this stupid planet's skies.

"Starscream." A deep voice said from outside the cell.

The seeker froze, his wings stiffening. It was Optimus. Starscream recoiled to his usual spot at the far corner of the cell.

"Are you alright?" The Autobot Leader asked with genuine concern.

"Uh... yes..." He said hesitantly. He could not tell the Prime what was bothering him. He would think he was trying to scape.

"You almost haven't touched your Energon rations in two days. Are you sure you are fine?" Optimus insisted. He already knew what was happening to the seeker, but he wanted him to admit it first.

"Hmm... my repairs are almost complete. And I am not as big as Bulkhead or you. I don't need so much Energon." He replied hesitantly.

"Starscream..." The Autobot Leader warned calmly, crossing his arms across his broad chestplates and giving him a hard stare.

"You will think that I try to escape..." Starscream sighed in defeat, his wings dropping slightly.

"Try me." Optimus encouraged him. The seeker gave up under his intent stare.

"I don't know what knowledge you have about seekers... but we need to _fly_. We _really_ need to fly once a while... or we can go insane."

"Why didn't you tell me before?"

"I... I don't know... I guess... I didn't think you would believe me... I've never been a reliable mech... well..." The seeker confessed, lowering his gaze to the floor. Optimus stared intently at him.

"Do you want to go for a flight?" Optimus said suddenly. Starscream's optics widened in shock.

"No!" He exclaimed, surprising Optimus. "I mean... yes, but no! The Decepticons can track me!" Starscream said in panic, the memory of Megatron ripping his right wing still fresh in his data-banks. The Decepticon warlord had never liked Starscream's frequent little trips to calm his seeker necessities, and had made himself sure that they remained at a minimum. This brought back more painful memories of past punishments to the grey mech.

"Easy, Starscream. I know that too." Optimus said soothingly. Pressing the right combination of numbers in the door panel of the cell, the bars slided up. He stepped in.

Starscream gasped and pressed himself further against the wall. Had his confession about having to fly angered Optimus? Megatron had always expressed his discomfort about his 'pointless flights' in a physical way every time Starscream requested one. Sure thing Optimus should be angered too, it had sounded like a pathetic intent of escaping. He was going to punish him for sure. And there was no way he could outmatch the Autobot Leader in melee range and without weapons. He closed his optics and shielded himself with his arms.

Optimus sighed sadly at the sight of the defenseless seeker trembling against the wall. He was like a caged bird, like Ratchet had said. Where was the defiant enemy that he once knew? Where were his confidence and bravado? The grey mech was truly shattered. His external wounds had healed, but his spirit was still broken and Optimus wasn't sure if he would ever heal.

"Starscream..." Optimus said, with infinite patience. The seeker looked back at him after a while, peeking from behind his arms. Optimus had one arm extended, offering an item in his palm. He made a small gesture with his helm to indicate the seeker to retrieve it.

"Oh..." Starscream said meekly as he reached for the object tentatively. "It's a cloaking shield... this is Decepticon technology." He said, inspecting the item closer. "It doesn't work though..."

"Ratchet brought it from Cybertron. He tried to make it work, but he couldn't." The Prime explained. "I know you were a scientist before the War." Optimus extracted from subspace a toolbox and handed it to Starscream. "Do you think you could repair it? At least, it would be better than staying here doing nothing." He added, and headed for the door, leaving a very dumbfounded seeker behind him. "Good luck." He waved, and disappeared from sight through the corridor, the cell's bars closing soon after he left.

Starscream stared in disbelief at the objects in his servos. If he could make it work, he wouldn't had to worry again about the Decepticons tracking him. And Optimus had not been mad at him after his confession of his need to fly. He smiled briefly for himself and went to his berth to start with his task.

* * *

><p><strong>[AN]:** I hate Miko, BTW.


	8. Cloaked

Chapter 8: Cloaked

_[Two days later.]_

Starscream spent the next two days repairing the small cloaking device. It was not an easy task, but at least it kept his mind busy and he could forget briefly about flying. Optimus came once a while to see if he needed any other tool.

And finally, he had been able to repair it. He felt proud of himself. He still was a great scientist.

He had given the cloaking device to Optimus, and he had gone with Bumblebee to try it. Of course it would do no good if he put a foot outside the base and it didn't work...

Doubts clouded suddenly his processors. What if Optimus only wanted him to repair that device? It could be of great use for the Autobots too. Optimus wouldn't lie, would him? He never did... but again... Starscream knew he was not the most reliable mech. Perhaps he was easily the less reliable mech. He deserved to be treated with the same mischief...

"Starscream. We are back. The cloaking shield works perfectly. Good job." The Autobot Leader announced, making Starscream snap out of his destructive spiral of thoughts. Optimus had came back. He had not lied. And he had praised his work. He couldn't believe his audio receptors.

The blue and red mech opened the cell's bars. The seeker looked at him almost in disbelief.

"Well... I think you already can imagine the rules, but I will remind them just in case." The Autobot Leader warned him with a stern tone. "You still have no weapons. That doesn't mean that you can't be dangerous, and I know it. So, nothing of harming humans or any human construction. In fact, you should avoid any city. That's all."

Starscream nodded briefly, and Optimus pressed another code in the brig's panel. The chain around his ankle fell to the floor with a loud 'clank'. The Autobot Leader gave him another warning glare and stepped aside, motioning to the seeker to follow him.

The grey mech stood hesitantly for a while, but followed Optimus. He guided him through the corridors, and soon they arrived at the main hall. The rest of the Autobots were gathered there, glaring at him with different levels of hate. The children didn't seem to be at the base today, thanks Primus. The Autobot Leader handed him the device. Starscream took it and activated it, then he placed the device in a compartment in his chest.

"Ratchet, open the Ground Bridge." The big blue and red mech ordered.

"Optimus, Sir, are you sure about this?" Bulkhead complained.

"What is he going to do? Run away and never come back?" Ratchet retorted.

"OK. Let him then." Bulkhead snorted.

Starscream recoiled slightly, feeling insecure.

"Come on, Starscream." Optimus commanded, ignoring his resentful soldiers. He headed to the Ground Bridge's vortex. The seeker followed hesitantly. And they crossed the green portal.

* * *

><p>The seeker stopped in his tracks as he took in his surroundings. They were in a remote area surrounded by forests and mountains. The sky was the purest blue, adorned with small white clouds. His wings were shaking by now, but he didn't dare to move. Instead he looked at Optimus expectantly.<p>

"Go." He said kindly, surprised by the fact that the seeker had actually asked for permission before even moving.

Starscream smiled briefly and jumped, transforming smoothly in mid-air and taking off almost vertically. He ascended through the skies, barreling and making loops and sharp turns, impossible maneuvers for a common human jet.

Optimus could see the jet breaking the sound barrier with a sonic boom and disappearing behind the clouds. He wondered briefly if he would ever return. Optimus recalled the last glance that he had given the seeker. Starscream had smiled. Very briefly, but it had been a genuine smile of happiness. Not an evil grin or a taunting smirk. A smile.

The alien F-16 gave an entire lap across the globe, his thrusters at full capacity, burning the excess of energy that he had been building up for more than a week. The feeling of the wind brushing against his aerodynamic frame was exhilarating. It felt like ages since he last had the opportunity to fly like this. The memory of Megatron mistreating his wings seized him involuntarily. Starscream didn't know at this point how had he endured all that time under Megatron's command. In the beginning of the War, the seeker had been truly loyal to the Decepticon warlord. Starscream had made a huge effort in giving his best, but Megatron had never praised him for his hard work. Nothing was ever sufficient to please the Decepticon Leader. And the punishments were out of proportion. In general, when in a bad mood, Megatron took it out with anyone near him, but Starscream had the bad luck of been usually nearer, as his Second in Command. Grave mistake. No wonder why he had turned treacherous and mistrustful later in the War. No one had never showed him the slightest hint of kindness or praise.

Starscream sighed inwardly. Optimus had praised his work. He didn't now if the Autobot Leader had been sincere, or if it had been only to gain his trust. However, it was already more than Megatron had done for him in the entire War. He sighed again and landed on a solitary peak, his engines cooling in the fresh mountain breeze. Optimus had given him the cloaking device. It had been like almost telling him "Hey, take this and disappear. Neither Autobots nor Decepticons would catch you again." And he was truly tempted to accept that offer.

But again... where would he go? Maybe with some tools and time he could bring his weapons online again, but the Energon was still a problem. Staying with the Autobots was perhaps the best solution at the moment for him. He could deal with the hating glares and the insults in exchange of shelter and nourishment. To the Pits with his pride and dignity. He should be thankful for been just alive.

Sighing again, he made his way back to where Optimus had released him. Optimus Prime, his enemy, thought the seeker for himself. And the only one that had shown him a little kindness in a long time. Starscream had no hopes in the Autobot Leader or his troops trusting him. Of course that was impossible, given his past story. But at that moment, the seeker didn't want to betray the little trust deposited on him by the Prime. He truly didn't want to.

* * *

><p>It was late in the afternoon when the sound of roaring thrusters could be heard in the distance. Optimus was resting in his alt-mode, but transformed back to mech form as he saw the F-16 approaching.<p>

Starscream made a loop and transformed mid-air, landing smoothly at a respectful distance from the mighty Autobot Leader.

"Starscream, you are back." The blue and red mech stated, and by the look on his face-plates, the seeker knew that he was not expecting to see him anymore. And honestly, Starscream wasn't expecting either that the Autobot Leader would be still waiting for him.

"Yes... well... That's me... I always come back." He replied a little nervously, squirming on his spot. "Actually..." He said hesitantly. "...I had nowhere else to go, so... I suppose that 'brig with daily Energon ration and a weekly flight' doesn't sound too bad after all..." He confessed. "Well, if you don't mind it, because of course I understand that it looks like a bad idea... in fact it looks like the worst idea given my past history... on a second thought, if I were you, I probably wouldn't accept it but-"

"Starscream." The Autobot Leader spoke calmly, making the seeker stop his rant. "Yes, you can stay." He said, and Starscream froze on the spot, his optics brightening. He was speechless for a long moment.

"Is there anything I can do to repay you?" The seeker finally asked, still finding hard to believe the situation and his own words.

"Just keep behaving and out of trouble." Optimus replied, shaking his helm slightly. The grey mech nodded sharply. "And tell me why is it that you always recharge on the floor, against the wall." He said with a small smile. Starscream's wings twitched at the unexpected question.

"Ah... that... well... I don't like berths... They are uncomfortable for winged mechs." He confessed. "I usually prefer to recharge in my alt-mode. First I couldn't because of the injuries, and then because of the chain..."

"I understand." The Autobot Leader replied. "Well, shall we head back to base?" Optimus asked, and Starscream nodded.

"Wait." Starscream said suddenly. The blue and red mech looked back at him questioningly. "I'm aware that my words don't have too much value given my past... actually I don't care if you believe me or not, it's not going to change anything, but... anyway... _thank you_... for... I don't know, everything, I suppose." He managed to say, squirming on the spot.

"You are welcome." Optimus replied simply, trying not to feel sympathy for a potentially dangerous enemy. But he couldn't help but noticing things as he heard Starscream and watched his body language. He truly didn't have anywhere else to go. No one trusted him, and he didn't trust in anyone either. Perhaps he didn't even trust himself any longer.

* * *

><p><strong>[AN]:** Ah, my poor Starscream. I would gladly adopt him if no one else wants him.


	9. Discovery

Chapter 9: Discovery

The rest of the Autobots seemed truly surprised when Optimus reappeared from the Ground Bridge, with the seeker still obediently following him. Another proof that they weren't expecting him returning was that the children were there now, playing video-games with their guardians.

"Well, I suppose it would have done no good to the 'do not abandon you dog this vacation' campaign." Miko snapped.

Starscream sighed and off-lined his optics trying to focus on the recent flight to forget the insults of the girl. He had to behave. That girl hated him more than the rest of the base all together. He didn't blame her, however. That day in the mine he had made a grave mistake.

"Miko." Optimus reprimanded her with a stern tone. The sulking girl closed his mouth and slumped on the sofa, but kept glaring at the seeker, and if glares could kill, the grey mech would have collapsed onto the floor right there. "Come on, Starscream." Optimus commanded, softer than he had addressed Miko earlier. The seeker followed without the slightest complaint.

"Uhm... here you have the cloaking device." The grey mech said, offering the item back to Optimus. The Autobot Leader turned and gave the seeker a small smile over his shoulder.

"You repaired it. It's yours." He replied, finishing that matter. The seeker blinked in disbelief.

They arrived to the brig and Starscream entered submissively into his now familiar cell and waited for Optimus to place back the shackle on his ankle. But instead, he heard the bars sliding behind him. He turned with a dumbfounded expression.

"Rest well." Was the only thing Optimus said before leaving. As he walked down the corridor, he could hear the familiar sound of the transformation gears shifting. He smiled for himself.

* * *

><p>Starscream was recharging peacefully at last on his alt-mode. Good thing that there was enough space in that cell to transform. He was replaying in dreams his last invigorating flight, his engines humming softly and his flaps twitching involuntarily.<p>

Ratchet had passed by the brig to leave him his Energon ration and left it on the floor of the cell, not wanting to awake the obviously dreaming jet.

"Seekers... who can understand them?" He murmured, and left.

* * *

><p><em>[Two weeks later.]<em>

Two more weeks passed. The Decepticons had not given many problems lately, besides from exploiting Energon mines and that kind of things they usually did when not trying to conquer the world.

Starscream was bored but relatively happy with his condition. He spent the days napping in alt-mode or surfing the net. The humans could be amusing sometimes, he had to admit. And he had gone flying three more times. The last one just yesterday. Optimus and sometimes Ratchet paused by his cell to talk to him every once a while. The Autobot Leader recalling the good old times before the War, and the medic usually asking him questions about engineering.

Little by little, he started to feel more confident.

* * *

><p>"Prime!" The special agent Fowler barked, as he stormed out of the lift. He seemed quite pissed-off. And as he tended to visit the Autobots only when there were issues, he gave the impression of been always angry.<p>

"What happens, agent Fowler?" Optimus asked with his usual calm tone, trying to pacify the agent. The three children turned to look at the liaison with curious glances, trying to catch the conversation in case they could help in something. Well, to be honest, Raf and Jack wanted to help. Miko only wanted an adrenaline rush, like usual.

"The 'Cons seem to be back to their misdeeds again." He informed, handing Raf a small flash memory. "This pictures were taken yesterday afternoon in two chemical plants, one in France, and the other in East Russia. The time delay between the attacks was less than an hour. No human plane can move that fast. We assumed that only the Decepticons could had caused them." He explained, and Raf proceeded to display the images in the largest monitor.

The pictures were blurry and they had bad quality, but between the smoke of the fires a distinct figure could be distinguished. The dark silhouette of a F-16 jet.

"That piece of scrap!" Miko shouted suddenly, startling the presents. "I knew we couldn't trust him! It was yesterday that he went for a flight with the excuse of stretching his treacherous wings! I am sure it was him!"

The special agent Fowler looked at the girl dumbfounded, and then narrowed his eyes, looking back at the Prime.

"Is there something that I haven't been informed about, Prime?"

* * *

><p>The shouts down the corridor awakened Starscream from his recharge.<p>

"I can't believe that you didn't inform me of this, Prime! I thought there were no secrets between us! This is... an outrage!" Oh, no. The seeker knew that voice.

"I was going to tell you soon, agent Fowler. I was only waiting for the right time to do it. I didn't want you to take hot-headed decisions." Wait, Optimus had not informed agent Fowler of his presence at the Autobot base?

Finally, the Prime and the liaison were in front of the cell's bars.

"YOU!" The agent barked, stabbing an accusatory finger in the seeker's direction.

Starscream jerked been still in jet form, and then transformed back to mech, recoiling to the far end of the cell with guilt written across his features.

"Humm... hello?" He managed to say with a nervous smile, his wings dropping low behind him.

"Not so confident now that the tables are turned, uh?" Fowler snapped, glaring at the seeker, who was at that moment praying to the Earth to swallow him at that very moment. "Prime! It was clearly him!" He has tricked you all! How could you have trusted a Decepticon?" He shouted at Optimus.

The blue and red mech sighed and looked at the seeker with a sad expression.

"I thought I could trust you, Starscream... I am very disappointed in you." He said with deep regret in his voice.

Starscream felt the little confidence he had managed to built, shattering again in a thousand of tiny pieces. His spark sinking one more time in a pool of dread.

"I want that... that _monster_ deactivated right now!" The liaison insisted.

The seeker's wings folded together in sheer panic.

"What did I do, Optimus?" He managed to ask, his voice barely above a whisper. If he was to be off-lined, at least he wanted to know why.

"That chemical plants you attacked yesterday in France and East Russia! What did you think?" Fowler snapped.

"What?" The seeker replied, his optics wide in disbelief. "Yesterday I went for a flight over the Pacific..." He trailed off. Of course no one was going to believe him. "Optimus." He called, approaching to the bars. "I know you don't believe me, but I did not attack any human facility yesterday."

"Explain this to me then." The Prime sighed, handing him a datapad with the incriminating pictures.

Starscream took it and inspected the captures closely. Soon, his servos were shaking. He raised his glance to meet Optimus'.

"...Thundercracker and Skywarp..." He finally said, his voice trembling.

* * *

><p><strong>[AN]:** Did I already said that I hate Miko? Anyway, Starscream dreaming that he flies... it's just too damn cute to imagine!


	10. Attack

Chapter 10: Attack

Starscream let himself drop onto the floor, holding his helm between his servos. He could not believe it. His wing-brothers were on Earth. He had not seen them since they were in Cybertron. When did they arrive? Had Megatron summoned them? Did they know something about him?

"Please, agent Fowler. Return to your duties. I will deal with this. Report back any new attack. Starscream will remain here. If an attack happens again, we will know that he is innocent and we will intervene immediately." Optimus said. The human grumbled a little, but turned to leave.

"That guy is a war criminal. Don't forget it." He added over his shoulder, stopping in his tracks.

"But he is a _cybertronian_ war criminal. He deserves to be judged by _cybertronian_ law and accordingly punished." The Prime replied. The liaison left.

Optimus was in silence for a long time before speaking again.

"I believe you." He said finally. Starscream looked at him from the floor, lost for words.

"You must be the only one..." He murmured.

"Starscream." Optimus said very seriously. He crouched behind the bars. "Look at me." The seeker obeyed. Optimus looked at him right into his optics. "I do not wish to harm your brothers, but neither can I permit them to continue damaging human property. I need you to give me any useful information to stop them."

The seeker cringed at the thought of betraying his own brothers. Probably the only two other beings in the Universe that he had not betrayed yet.

"I... I can't..." He murmured, looking away.

The Autobot Leader sighed sadly and turned to leave.

"Optimus..." The seeker said, making the blue and red mech stop and glance back at him. "I had no idea that they were coming. And if Megatron summoned them here, I highly doubt that he told them what happened to me." Starscream rose from the floor and grabbed the bars, looking back at Optimus again, with resolve in his optics. "My brothers are loyal to me, not to Megatron. _I_ am their trine-Leader. And if they are following Megatron's orders, it's probably because he had deceived them. They must think that I'm dead... That's all I know."

"Thank you, Starscream." The Autobot Leader replied, and left.

"Please, Optimus, don't harm them!" The seeker added, but he was not sure if Optimus had heard him over the alarm that started to sound over the base, undoubtedly announcing a new Decepticon attack. Starscream shuddered, terribly worried for his brothers.

* * *

><p>"Optimus! Two unidentified jets are attacking a chemical plant in Nebraska!" Ratchet informed as the Autobot Leader appeared in the main hall. "What do they even want from a chemical plant? Fowler's report said that they didn't even steal anything!"<p>

"I guess they wanted the explosions to be big and colorful." Bulkhead snorted.

"They wanted to attract our attention. They want to fight us. That is why they have used chemical plants as their common pattern. To allow us to track them easily." Optimus deduced.

"It's a trap, Optimus." Arcee intervened. Bumblebee beeped in agreement.

"I know." The Autobot Leader replied. "That's why we are all coming, to be prepared for the worst."

"Optimus..." Raf said shyly, already at the Ground Bridge's terminal, preparing the coordinates. "I don't know if it is coincidence or intended... but today is Sunday, and yesterday attacks happened on Saturday afternoon, local hour."

"What happens with that?" Bulkhead asked.

"The chemical plants were empty of people." Raf replied with a slight frown. Optimus considered the new piece of information carefully.

"Thank you, Raf. Now, please, remain here and assist us operating the Ground Bridge. We will maintain radio contact." The Autobot Leader said, closing his face-mask.

The swirling greenish vortex came to life, and the five Autobots disappeared from sight. Raf sighed with concern.

* * *

><p>Optimus and his Autobots stepped out of the Ground Bridge, which closed behind them. Soon, they were engulfed by the thick smoke surrounding the attacked chemical plant.<p>

"Optimus Prime!" A deep voice from the sky roared, followed by the loud noise of jet engines. The sound was difficult to locate, and the visibility was greatly impaired due to the smoke. "You must be more stupid than I thought to come here!" The voice was now elsewhere. "But I must suggest your loyal companions to retreat while they still can. My problem is only with _you_."

"Show yourself, coward!" Bulkhead barked.

"Silence!" The voice roared again, and a missile landed in the ground just beneath the green mech, sending him flying through the air. He landed a few meters away with a loud crash. Bumblebee hurried to help him. Fortunately, Bulkhead was not seriously injured, only dazed.

"What do you want?" Optimus asked.

"Vengeance! I want you to _die_, Prime, for killing my brother, Starscream!" The seeker roared, as missiles and gunfire rained over the Autobots from almost every direction.

* * *

><p>Starscream was near the cell's bars, with his audio receptors tuned to the maximum, so that he could hear the incoming transmissions from the Autobots in the main hall.<p>

His optics widened in shock when he heard Thundercracker's words. Megatron had lied to his brothers! That slagger! How dared he? Megatron was the one that had intended to kill him in the first place! He clenched his denta and balled his servos into a fist, shaking with contained rage.

He had to do something, and quick. The Autobots had no possibilities against his two brothers together. Until now, only Thundercracker had spoken, but he knew that Skywarp was near, hiding somewhere, waiting for the right moment to strike with a quick teleport. He had no sympathy for the Autobots, but Optimus was the only mech besides his brothers that had been mildly kind to him and deposited some trust in him. Primus, the Autobot Leader had saved his _life_! He owed him that at least.

Pits. He wanted to do at least one thing _right_ in his life! And he couldn't because he was in a cell! He slammed a fist against the wall. The sounds of the explosions and fighting could be heard still coming from the main hall.

"Starscream..." A tiny voice said from the floor behind the bars. It was the smaller boy, Raf. He was looking at him apprehensively.

"W-what are you doing here, boy? Didn't Optimus tell you not to come here alone?" He hissed.

"Please, you are the only one who can help Optimus..." He pleaded. "I know... what Megatron did to you... I am sorry." He confessed, lowering his voice to a whisper. Starscream crouched to look at him intently, his crimson glare piercing through the small kid. "Optimus didn't want us to know it because it was personal. But I found out without meaning to... one day when I walked past Optimus' quarters and he was talking with Ratchet. But I haven't told anyone else!" The grey seeker blinked a couple of times. "I know that you don't like us, but you can't let Megatron get his own way! He has deceived your brothers and used them to lay Optimus a trap!"

Starscream snarled, feeling his strenght coming back to him. The incident with Megatron had taken away from the grey seeker all his confidence and his will to live. But now, he had something else to fight for. He could not allow the Decepticon warlord using his brothers like pawns! He knew that Megatron would end up mistreating them too. He didn't want his brothers to suffer his same fate. He won't let him get his own way!

The seeker crouched even lower, the cell's bars barely separating him from Raf, his gaze projecting an eerie red glow over the small kid. He looked no longer like a caged bird. He was a caged tiger.

"Release me." He growled low, in a tone that made Raf's blood run cold. "I've got a fight to stop."

The kid connected his laptop to the door panel and soon the bars slided up. They stared at each other for several seconds, now without barriers between them. Raf swallowed hard, starting to think that releasing the seeker had been a grave mistake. Starscream reached out a servo and the child flinched, shielding himself with his arms.

"We don't have the whole day." The seeker urged. Raf peeked from behind his arms. Starscream had his palm offered to him to climb up.

"Oh." He said, and jumped on Starscream's servo, his dangerous claws curling protectively around him as he stood and made his way towards the main hall.

* * *

><p><strong>[AN]:** Yay Raf! You are the only useful kid around the base! And... YAY STARSCREAM YOU ARE BACK! MOVE THAT NICE AFT OF YOURS AND DO SOMETHING HEROIC!


	11. Brothers

Chapter 11: Brothers

"Starscream!" Jack exclaimed, frozen on the spot.

"We are screwed..." Miko gasped ominously as the seeker approached with quick strides to the control terminal in the main hall.

"It's alright, guys. Everything is fine." A small voice intervened from Starscream's right servo.

"RAF?" Jack and Miko exclaimed at unison.

Starscream just growled in annoyance and deposited the small kid at the Ground Bridge's terminal, ignoring the other two teenagers. Immediately he headed for the corridor, not wanting to spend more time than necessary in company of the human grubs. The vortex came to life to the last used coordinates, and the seeker disappeared through it. He didn't have time to waste.

"OK, what did you just do, and how?" Miko asked, in disbelief.

* * *

><p>The battle was not going well for the Autobots. The seekers had flight superiority, and they were hiding in the smoke. Their cunning sensors permitted them to track the movements of the Autobots, but the Autobots could not track them.<p>

Also, though only one of them had spoken, Optimus knew that there were two seekers. There was just too much gunfire and blasts raining over them to come from only one mech. They were circling in the sky and shooting, making impossible to locate them. Soon, only Optimus was standing. His comrades with injuries of different grades.

At that moment, as if their luck was mocking at them, the wind changed its direction, clearing the smoke. Optimus could now see clearly the two F-16 circling above him. One of them was sea-blue with a thin red line across his wings, and the other one was black with a thin purple line.

"Oops! Our cover has been blown away..." The black jet spoke. He had been in silence until that moment. His voice sounded younger.

"How fortuitous... You'll get to see the face-plates of Starscream's avenger!" The blue jet added, his voice deeper. And with that, he nose-dived to the ground and transformed mid-air, landing hard a few yards away in front of Optimus, the pavement cracking under his feet. His frame type was similar to Starscream's, but he was bigger and slightly bulkier. His face-plates were different, and had a severe expression.

"I did not kill your brother!" Optimus shouted, standing his ground, and firing two warning blasts at the blue seeker. Thundercracker unsheathed a big cybertronian sword and deflected the blasts with incredible speed.

"Megatron told us that you would try deceive us." The blue seeker replied easily, and approached his enemy, his expression icy.

Obeying an unspoken command, Skywarp made his move. Teleporting suddenly next to Optimus, he launched a kick. The Autobot Leader barely had time to block it when the black seeker teleported again out of reach, reappearing at Optimus' opposite side. They kept exchanging blows for some moments. Skywarp's frame type was also similar to Starscream's, but he was smaller and slightly sturdier. His face plates were also different, he seemed younger. And clearly, despite been a seeker, he was a very skilled close-combat fighter. His disorienting teleporting abilities were giving Optimus a hard time to deflect all his blows. The Autobot Leader was also slower due to his own injuries, and was quickly loosing his ground.

In a rough movement, Skywarp managed to pin down the blue and red mech, twisting one of his arms behind his back.

"Meet your end, Prime. This is for our brother." The blue seeker stated coldly, raising his cybertronian sword.

Optimus tried to struggle, but it was in vain. Skywarp had him firmly pinned to the ground. He prepared himself for the final blow.

The sickening sound of a blade tearing circuitry filled the air.

The Autobot Leader opened his optics and froze at the scene.

Starscream stood in front of him, Thundercracker's blade piercing through his chassis.

"...Starscream..." The blue seeker murmured, shakily, releasing the grip on his blade. The grey seeker fell to the ground with a loud crash, the blade still stuck across his frame, just below his spark case. The black seeker gasped and immediately released Optimus, rushing to his fallen trine-mate.

"No... 'Screamer! Tell us something! Don't leave us again!" Skywarp cried horrified. Thundercracker fell to his knee-joints beside him, lost for words.

"...You... stupid glitched aft-heads!" He coughed. "Don't worry about me... I've survived far worse..." He paused and coughed more. "The important thing here is... that Megatron has deceived you two!" The grey seeker hissed with difficulty, sparks flying from his wound and Energon leaking to the ground.

"What?" Skywarp and Thundercracker exclaimed at unison.

"Do you mind it if I explain everything later...? In another moment when... I weren't bleeding to death and such?" Starscream replied, wincing in pain. Skywarp and Thundercracker felt a little relieved. The wound looked serious, but if Starscream was still scolding them it couldn't be that bad.

"And what do we do with the Autobots?" The blue seeker asked.

"Help them through their Ground Bridge. Don't harm them. They won't hurt any of us." The grey seeker said, with a pained expression and looked to Optimus. The Autobot Leader rose from the ground and nodded, locking his gaze into Starscream's.

"Raf, I need a Ground Bridge to my coordinates." The blue and red mech said.

"And don't harm the human pets they have at their base either..." Starscream added.

* * *

><p><strong>[AN]:** As Skywarp and Thundercracker does not appear in the TV show (at least, until now), everything I described about them is totally a make up. Don't blame me... much... if you don't like how I imagined them...


	12. Explanations

Chapter 12: Explanations

The strange group of Autobots and seekers were now resting at the Autobot base. Fortunately, the injuries that the Autobots had received were not life-threatening, and Ratchet had been merely stunned.

The medic was now in the med-bay, attending to Starscream, that had received the most serious wound, but he was also out of danger. The rest of the troops were at the main hall, the Autobots glaring at the two seekers suspiciously. Thundercracker was not paying much attention, and was focused in cleaning his cybertronian sword from the dried Energon of his own brother. It disgusted him to no end. Skywarp was, for his part, staring at everything in awe. He hadn't spent much time on Earth, and everything was new and exciting to him.

"So, what happened to our brother, Optimus? I know he hates Megatron, but siding with the Autobots seems also weird, no matter how you look at it..." The black seeker said, trying to break the ice.

"That is his story to tell. And I do not wish to compromise it's privacy, I am sorry." Optimus replied apologetically.

"Why didn't you harm the Autobots?" Raf asked suddenly. He had noticed, that despite the intense sound of blasts and gun-fire coming from the radio feed, the Autobots were relatively in good shape, with only minor wounds. And specially Ratchet had not been hit. Only stunned out of combat.

"Ah, I see that some humans have a cunning mind..." The blue seeker murmured, pausing in the cleaning of his sword and looking at the smaller boy. "We only wanted Optimus, because Megatron had told us that he had killed Starscream. The rest of the Autobots were not our objective. We set our guns to stun-mode. We wanted vengeance, not making Megatron's plans easier." He resumed the cleaning of his sword.

"And you attacked human facilities that were empty." Raf pointed out.

"There is no point in killing defenseless humans. They are weak creatures, not worthy enemies. There is no honor in that."The blue seeker stated, his wings twitching in annoyance and inspecting his now clean blade.

"Woah, you are a honorable warrior! A space samurai!" Miko exclaimed cheerfully, approaching to the blue seeker, for Bulkhead's dismay. The blue mech blinked his optics a couple of times in confusion, wondering what was a 'samurai'. The little girl seemed unafraid of him. "What's your name?"

"Thundercracker. And my brother here is Skywarp." The blue seeker replied.

"Hi! I like your hair!" Skywarp said gleefully, peeking from behind his brother. "And who are you?"

"I'm Miko, and these are Raf and Jack." She replied, pointing to the other boys. "Please to meet you two!" It seemed that when out of combat, those two seekers were actually nice, unlike their brother.

"So, you hate me, but you like my brothers... Great..." Starscream intervened, who had just came out of the med-bay followed by Ratchet. He was still limping slightly.

"'Screamer!" Skywarp cheered, full of joy, and teleported next to his brother in a second, pulling him into a crushing hug.

"Don't call me that! And release me, you are going to break me in two!" Starscream complained. Skywarp loosened his hug, but did not release his brother. Instead, he continued to cling to his grey brother while he tried to make his way towards Thundercracker. "How could you let Megatron fool you two? If I had died you would had felt the trine-bond shattering, you would have known immediately!"

"You were very far... I thought the distance had deadened it... I don't know... You were always the scientific one of the trine." Thundercracker apologized. "Oh, Starscream, we were so worried..." The blue seeker confessed, forgetting his usually formal manners, and he also pulled his brother into a hug, leaving Starscream sandwiched between Skywarp and him. Starscream struggled, fruitlessly trying to free himself, but he gave up with a groan.

Ratchet smirked and Bumblebee gave a series of joyful beeps and clicks. Arcee and Bulkhead simply couldn't believe their optics. Optimus gave a small smile, happy to realize that Starscream was no longer alone in this world.

"By the Allspark, would you just stop embarrassing me in front of the Autobots? This is humiliating!" Starscream moaned.

"No." Thundercracker and Skywarp replied at unison. But a while later, they released him anyway. Starscream coughed some static to clear his vocalizer, trying to regain his composure.

"Optimus, is there any place where I could talk to my wing-brothers... _privately_?" The grey seeker asked, as politely as he could.

* * *

><p>The Autobot Leader guided the seekers to the training room so that Starscream could explain everything to their brothers without been interrupted.<p>

"Well..." He said, giving a long sigh through his vents once the door was closed. His expression turned worried and his brothers looked at him with concern.

"What happened, Starscream?" Thundercracker asked hesitantly.

The trine-Leader sat cross-legged on the floor against a wall, and his brothers mimicked him. Then, he produced a data-transfer cable from one of his flanks, beneath the armor. Skywarp and Thundercracker also pulled out their data-transfer cables, and the three connected to the data-ports of their brothers. That way, cybertronians could exchange any information stored in their data-banks, from battle plans to strategies. From memories to feelings. Everything.

Starscream lowered his firewalls and paused for a long moment, simply enjoying the other two familiar presences at the other end of the link. He had missed them so much. His brothers sent pulses of comfort and reassurance from their end of the link, sensing his longing. There was no need for words when they were connected this way. Their thoughts would be shared automatically.

Then, Starscream proceeded to show his brothers everything that had happened while he was on Earth. Video files mixed with audio, intertwined with feelings and emotions. It was like a movie, but a hundred times more personal. Thundercracker was very confused by the fact that the Autobots were permitting them to stay here, after all the horrible things that Starscream had done to them. Skywarp flinched with the part where Megatron had punished his brother for trying to kill him while in stasis.

Then, arrived the part where the Decepticon warlord had tried to kill Starscream, almost succeeding in the process. Skywarp had to pull up his firewalls slightly, overwhelmed by the shared pain. Thundercracker was shaking in fury. The agony, the grief, the loneliness... it was too much to bear. Then the part where the Autobots had found Starscream. The feeling of dread, every hope gone, every will to live also gone. The despair, the regrets. Starscream had given up. He had been broken in every sense, in the outside and in the inside. Frame and spirit.

But Optimus had not let Starscream to give up. First he had fixed his external wounds. And later, little by little, he had fixed his spirit. And it only had taken him a little kindness and trust. He owed Optimus. That was why he had saved the life of his former enemy. He only wanted to do one damned thing right in his life.

Skywarp was, at that point shaking and making soft clicking sounds, interrupted by small bursts of static, the closest thing to crying that cybertronians could do. Starscream hugged him closer, Skywarp snuggling against him and burying his face-plates in his grey brother's neck-cables. Thundercracker embraced the two of them and gently caressed Starscream's wings. His precious wings. He swore to himself and his brothers that Megatron would never lay again a single servo on their wings.

They were still connected, exchanging soothing pulses of reassurance and comfort, as they fell into recharge, reveling in the feeling of belonging to each other. Their trine was complete again. The rest of the Universe could disappear, they wouldn't have cared less. They had each other.

Several hours later, when Optimus went to check out how were doing Starscream and his brothers, he carefully peeked from behind the door of the training room. The three seekers were deep in recharge, cuddled together in a tangled mess of wings and hugs, engines purring softly. The Autobot Leader shook his helm slightly, smiling inwardly, and closed the door again, leaving the corridor as quietly as he could.

* * *

><p><strong>[AN]:** Well, the category was hurt/comfort... so here is the comfort at long last! Thumbs up for Starscream sandwiched between his brothers! And thumbs up for the trio of cuddling-recharging-purring seekers!


	13. Apologies

Chapter 13: Apologies

The next morning all the Autobots were at the main hall. The kids were also there, because they had that day off school.

"So..." Bulkhead said suddenly, once Miko finished his electric-guitar performance. "Are we gonna adopt every stray Decepticon that arrives wounded at our door?"

Optimus gave a long sight through his vents.

"If that is what it takes to end this War, so be it." Optimus finally replied. "I will not turn my back to any cybertronian in need of help."

"Well, if all the Decepticons join our ranks, Megatron would be alone, and less powerful." Jack intervened.

"Woah, Bulkhead, imagine all the havoc that Breakdown and you could cause!" Miko said with a wide smile.

"Not gonna happen." Bulkhead replied, holding up his servos defensively. "And he would come along with that sadistic medic of them, obsessed with his paint-job. He gives me the creeps..."

"Oh, the one that mistook Vince for me... bad idea." Jack murmured. "Although I must admit that Starscream also seemed like a bad idea at first..."

Suddenly a small coughing of static could be heard, and everyone turned his attention to the blue seeker that had just arrived at the main hall.

"Thundercracker." Optimus saluted with a small nod.

"May I come in, Optimus?" The blue seeker asked politely. Besides of been an honorable warrior, he was usually very well mannered in contrast to Starscream, who was always harsh, and Skywarp, who simply didn't care about manners.

"Of course." Optimus replied. Arcee and Bulkhead tensed slightly. "Do you need anything?"

Thundercracker blinked a couple of times, wondering how could the Autobot Leader be so forgiving. Just yesterday he had tried to kill Optimus. And now he was asking him if he needed anything.

"I am sorry, Optimus. For everything. I don't know if you'll accept apologies from a Decepticon, but I had to try." He said solemnly.

"Megatron had deceived you two. I understand perfectly. Don't worry about it any longer." Optimus replied. Thundercracker nodded slowly, and was in silence for some moments before speaking again.

"Starscream has shown us everything. And I mean _everything_ since he came to this planet." He continued, stepping closer. "My brother... I know he is a difficult mech. He can be very talkative, but he isn't good with words. Mainly because nobody believes him anyway..." He sighed. "However, I have seen through him, through our shared link, and he can't lie to us there." The Autobot Leader looked at him questioningly. "Starscream would never admit it, but inside him I have seen painful amounts of regrets and sorrow. I only wanted you to know, that he is also sorry. _Truly_ sorry." He finalized, but he was no longer looking at Optimus, but Arcee instead. The blue femme gave a pained expression and looked away, unable to say anything at that moment. "That is all... thank you, for listening, Optimus."

The Autobot Leader nodded solemnly. They stood in silence for several minutes.

"Hey, Thundercracker." Miko called from the floor. She was carrying a wooden practicing sword. "Do you think you could show me some cool moves?" She asked, waving the wooden sword on in the air.

"It would be a pleasure, if Bulkhead doesn't mind it." Replied the blue seeker, with a polite reverence.

* * *

><p>It was late in the morning when Starscream appeared in the main hall, with Skywarp still clinging to him.<p>

"Will you ever release me, Skywarp? It's rather difficult to walk like this..." He complained, with an aggravated sigh.

"Nope." The black seeker replied, with a teasing smirk.

"Hey Skywarp, do you like video-games? We have bought a new one, a flight simulator, maybe you'll like it." Jack suggested.

"Woohoo video-games!" Skywarp cheered, releasing his brother and trotting to where Jack was playing with the game-console. "Wait, what's a 'video-game'?" The grey seeker sighed in relief and inwardly thanked the older boy for distracting his over-affectionate brother.

Starscream stared in astonishment at the scene. Thundercracker was practicing sword moves, the small human girl mimicking him with her own wooden sword. Of course under the intent watch of his guardian. Skywarp was now (thanks Primus) playing a video-game and chatting animatedly with Jack, under the close vigilance of the blue femme.

"Hey, Starscream..." A tiny voice said suddenly. Bumblebee had approached with his charge on a shoulder-plate. "How are you doing?" He asked. Bumblebee chirped.

"Uh... better, I guess." He replied, hesitantly, not used to anyone caring about his condition. "Hmm... can I... pick you?" Starscream asked unexpectedly. Bumblebee gave a low whine, slightly startled. Raf soothed him with a pat. He doubted that Starscream would try anything in front of the rest of the Autobots.

"It's OK, 'Bee." The small kid said, and jumped onto the seeker's offered servo. Starscream raised the tiny human to optic level to inspect him closely for a long moment.

"You are very brave to be so small, kid." He said, after a while, his voice an intimidating purr.

"I don't think so... Miko is braver than me." The boy replied hesitantly.

"Miko is irresponsible and foolish. You are brave." The seeker said, pointing at him with a sharp claw for emphasis. "When you released me yesterday, I could have easily killed you." He added with malice, reminding the kid that he was still a dangerous mech.

"I must admit that I was terrified... but I knew you where the only one that could help." Raf confessed.

"To be brave is not about not been ever afraid. It is about doing the right thing despite been afraid to." The seeker explained. Raf meditated his words for a while.

"Were you afraid when you stood in the way of Thundercracker's blade to save Optimus?" Raf asked.

"Maybe... a little." Starscream confessed in a whisper, a smirk creeping to his face-plates. Raf smiled back, and the seeker deposited him on the floor so that the kid could continue playing with his worried guardian.

Optimus approached then to Starscream, Ratchet next to the Autobot Leader. The seeker looked back at him, a little unsettled.

"Starscream..." The blue and red mech saluted. The seeker's wings twitched slightly. "..._Thank you_." Starscream blinked a couple of times, unsure of that to do. Nobody had ever thanked him for anything. Why was it that Optimus always did things that he didn't expect?

"Uh... you are welcome... I suppose." He replied a little awkwardly.

"Have you thought about what are you and your brothers going to do from now on?" Optimus asked.

"I haven't decided yet. But I know one thing for sure: Megatron is going to pay a high price..." He replied in a growl, his optics narrowed to a thin line. "My brothers agree with me in that point." Optimus nodded solemnly. "And after that, who knows, maybe I could replace you and become Leader of the Autobots..." He added with a thoughtful look, tapping his chin-plates with a claw. Everyone in the room stopped what they were doing and glared daggers at him, even his wing-brothers. "What? Can't I have a little sense of humor?"

"Seriously, Starscream. Leave the jokes to your brother Skywarp." Arcee said with a serious tone, but hiding a smirk.

"I must agree with the lady here." Thundercracker added.

"And come on, you just risked your own life to save Optimus' tailpipe! And don't tell me that it was just to be even with him..." Skywarp teased.

"Argh! Betrayed by my own brothers! I should had never brought you here!" Starscream wailed dramatically, as he stomped down the corridor, far from the snickering mechs.

"Well, I think he is officially fixed now." Ratchet said, absently looking at a datapad.

"Yes, old friend. In frame and in spirit." Optimus replied, with a small smile. He didn't know if the seekers would side with him yet, but one thing he knew for sure: Megatron had lost that day three soldiers and earned three great enemies.

Maybe there was still hope for everymech out there.


	14. Seekers

Chapter 14: Seekers

_[Three days later.]_

"So, if we are neither Decepticons, nor Autobots... what are we?" Skywarp asked suddenly, pausing the video-game he was playing with Jack. Three more days had passed at the Autobot base, and things were getting slowly back to normal. Well, all the normal they could get having the elite seeker-trine under the same roof, that is.

Starscream glanced at him, pausing from his tedious task. He was working with Ratchet, building more cloaking shields for everyone. They couldn't risk Megatron finding them now that he and his brothers had officially deserted from the Decepticon ranks.

"Does it really matters?" The grey mech huffed, a little annoyed for having to pause his job.

"Well, of course, I want a new emblem on my chest!" Skywarp replied with enthusiasm.

"We are seekers. That's all that matters." Thundercracker intervened. He was in his alt form, resting for a while, but he still wanted to be in company, so he was also in the main hall with the rest of the troops.

"Woah, great idea! You could wear the Superman's emblem, it also starts with 'S'." Miko suggested gleefully.

"Who is that 'Superman'?" Skywarp asked, tilting his helm.

"It's a fiction super-hero! He has super-powers like shooting lasers with his eyes, super-strenght, he is bullet-proof, and he can also fly! He lives to help those in danger, but when he is not saving the world, he disguises himself as a humble human reporter, to go unnoticed." Miko explained.

"I like it!" Skywarp cheered, looking up in the Internet more information about the super-hero. His brothers were doing the same at that point.

"Absolutely NOT!" Starscream growled. "I'm not going to waste my precious time saving puny humans, much less repaint myself in red and blue. We have enough with Optimus around here."

"What about my paint-job?" Optimus asked, who had just entered the main hall and had overheard the end of the conversation. Starscream's wings stiffened in surprise.

"Nothing to be worried about, Optimus. The kids and the not-so-kids were just discussing a repaint for Starscream." Ratchet explained efficiently.

"Ah, I see." Optimus smiled, as he approached to the rest of his fellow troops and extra seekers. Starscream was grumbling something about his paint-job been already discreet and perfect while resuming his work.

Miko, meanwhile had succeeded in convincing Thundercracker to let her climb to his cabin and was making pew-pew noises, recreating an imaginary aerial combat. The blue jet was a little puzzled, but since the girl was not doing any damage to him, he let her be. Of the trine, he was also the most patient.

"So, how is the building of the cloaking devices going?" Optimus asked, back to business.

"Almost done." The grey seeker replied dryly. "I don't want to spend more time than necessary at your base. I know glares can't kill yet, but any of these days I'm going to drop off-line by one of them." He said, giving Miko a hateful glare. She glared back, making more pew-pew noises, mimicking shooting lasers at the grey mech. "Besides, I don't want to take unfair advantage of your generosity."

"Aww, what a pity. It's cozy here." Skywarp whined. "And I am going to miss that agent Fowler... the faces he made when he saw us three here... that was priceless! He almost fainted! It was sooo funny!"

"Skywarp, super-heroes are not supposed to go around scaring people." Jack reprimanded.

"Aww... I could be Batman, he is scary, and I'm already black!" Skywarp decided then. He had been surfing the net searching more info about super-heroes for a while.

Starscream gave an aggravated sigh and face palmed, resting an elbow-joint on the working-table. Ratchet smirked sympathetically and patted him on a shoulder.

"Hey, Starscream." Raf said, perched on the railing of the platform, to be a little higher. "Can I ask you something?" He asked timidly.

The grey seeker normally would have ignored the human pests, but among the three kids, Raf was the less annoying and usually never bothered him. And when he rarely spoke it was for asking intelligent questions or pointing out useful information, so, the seeker indulged him this time.

"Speak." He commanded, a little harshly.

"How is it that your trine-mates are so different from you? And how is a trine decided?" The small kid asked. Starscream was thoughtful for a while before answering.

"Well, seekers are known for been a little... volatile and skittish... So we traditionally bond in trines, to help balancing each other. I suppose Skywarp's goofiness balances Thundercracker's seriousness and my lack of humour. Thundercracker's steadiness and sense of honor compensate Skywarp's lack of focus and my... treacherous tendencies... And I contribute with my vast knowledge in science and military strategies, as well as adding a touch of... _sophistication_." He ended with a smirk.

"How modest." The young boy smiled.

"And about how is a trine decided... I guess we just knew since the first time we met." The seeker continued.

"Like love at first sight?" Miko intervened, who was unexpectedly paying attention to Starscream's explanation.

"...I guess you could say that." The grey seeker gave up, no longer seeing the point in arguing with the obnoxious girl.

"Starscream we love youuuuuu!" Skywarp chimed in a sing-song voice.

"Good grief!" Starscream groaned in exasperation, face-palming again. Ratchet tried to suppress a smirk.

"I'm sorry for asking..." Raf whispered apologetically.

"That's it!" Starscream growled, picking one of the cloaking devices that were finished and stomping to the Ground Bridge terminal. "I'm going for a flight before you drive me insane!"

"Me too!" Skywarp chirped.

"I'm not leaving you alone." Thundercracker said, still in jet-mode. "Can you please climb off, Miko?"

"Can I go with you?" The restless girl asked.

"Oh, yes, the speeds at which we fly surely would crush you in the seat. I'd love to. In fact, you can ride with me." Starscream replied, dedicating Miko the evilest smirk he could muster.

"Hmpf... you win this time!" The girl admitted, stabbing a finger in the grey seeker's direction, for his delight.

Ratchet blinked in surprise. Dissuading Miko from accompanying a mech in a risky venture was a difficult feat. He was starting to like Starscream.

* * *

><p>Starscream barreled lazily through the clouds, enjoying the speed and the clean air of the upper layers of the Earth's atmosphere. Thundercracker and Skywarp traced circles surrounding him as he flew. It was like an airborne choreography, beautiful and perfectly synchronized.<p>

With his brothers at his side, Starscream felt that nothing could ever stop him.

Oh yes, Megatron was going to pay for all his transgressions.

But for now, he only wanted to enjoy the wind beneath his wings, and the company of the only two beings that had never betrayed him, and he would never betray. His trine-mates. His brothers.

No longer Decepticons, no longer Autobots.

_Just Seekers_.

* * *

><p><strong>[AN]1:** And... the end. Thank you for reading! I sincerely hope that you enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it. All the comments were very encouraging. And again, I would like to apologize for the grammar errors that there must be on the text. Keep in mind that English is not my first language. I am Spanish, and by writing this I am improving my English, but it will never be perfect. Sorry about it.

**[A/N]2:** I guess it would be nice to write a squel about fighting Megatron... maybe other Decepticons joining them, but, blerhg. I don't have any ideas, and season two is coming soon, so, anyway, it was nice while it lasted. I'd better finish my other story :)

**[A/N]3:** I only regret not having used Bumblebee very much. I find him adorable, but as he doesn't speak... it's difficult to play.


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